Nestle SA announced on Tuesday, May 17, that it is flying baby formula supplies to the United States from Switzerland and the Netherlands to alleviate the shortage in American supermarkets.
In an emailed statement to Reuters, Nestle said it is moving Alfamino baby formula to the United States from Switzerland and Gerber baby food formula from the Netherlands to the U.S. The company said it prioritized these products because they serve a critical medical purpose as they are for babies with cow's milk protein allergies.
Nestle added both products were already being imported, but they moved shipments up and rushed via air to help fill immediate needs. Panicked parents have emptied baby formula aisles at supermarkets in the United States since top manufacturer Abbott Laboratories recalled dozens of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare formulas in February.
Nestle doing everything it can to help parents and caregivers get their baby formula
Nestlé told CNN that Gerber is a small player in the infant formula market in the United States, but the company is committed to doing everything to help get parents and caregivers the formula they need.
Nestlé added that beyond airfreighting some formula, the company is also running formula factories at capacity and accelerated product availability to online sellers, retailers, and hospitals for the most vulnerable.
The Biden administration is stepping up its coordination with the industry to address the baby formula shortage. A White House official released a statement on Monday, May 16, saying they are having ongoing conversations with the four major infant formula manufacturers-Abbott, Nestle/Gerber, Perrigo, and Reckitt.
The White House is working with them to identify logistical, transportation, and supplier hurdles to increasing the production of baby formula at their US- and FDA-approved facilities, to expand the speed and amount of FDA-approved formula being shipped into the United States and ensure that formula is quickly moving from factories to retailers.
Reckitt Benckiser is boosting its baby formula production by about 30 percent and making more frequent deliveries to stores as the company looks to counter a nationwide shortage in supermarkets in the United States.
FDA seeking baby formula manufacturers around the globe
Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, told NPR that they are seeking manufacturers around the globe who may have an available product that could meet their standards for food safety and nutrition.
Mayne said the FDA would help get that product into the United States. The federal agency also allows more flexibility for infant formula produced in the United States. Priority will be given to manufacturers that can demonstrate nutritional adequacy and safety and get a product onto American shelves the quickest. Frank Yiannas, the FDA's deputy commissioner for food policy and response, said they are focused on getting as much product as possible on store shelves.
